Aug. 4, 2025

The Internal Shift That Unlocks External Success

The Internal Shift That Unlocks External Success

What if the real barrier to your growth isn’t your situation—but your standards, character, or clarity? In this honest and practical episode, Jeff and Dharius talk about the internal adjustments leaders must make to truly win. From redefining success, to building competencies, to setting high standards and stewarding self-leadership, this episode is packed with the kind of wisdom that can shift your trajectory. If you’re feeling stuck despite outward success, this one will help you realign what matters most.

TIMESTAMPS
10:52 - Coaching: An Underrated Leadership Competency
17:45 - Four Reasons People Get Stuck
25:05 - Standards: The Floor, Not The Ceiling
34:25 - The Power of Self-Leadership
50:28 - Choosing Your Influences Wisely

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
More resources: https://leadtowin.com/
Win With People: https://leadtowin.com/pages/win-with-people
Register for Leaders Gathering: https://leadersgathering.leadtowin.com/
Information on Milestone Church: https://milestonechurch.com/

FIND US AT: https://leadtowin.com

GET IN TOUCH: Contact us at info@leadtowin.com

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jefflittle/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pastorjefflittle

00:00 - Character Traits That Drive Success

10:52 - Coaching: An Underrated Leadership Competency

17:45 - Four Reasons People Get Stuck

25:05 - Standards: The Floor, Not The Ceiling

34:25 - The Power of Self-Leadership

40:28 - Choosing Your Influences Wisely

WEBVTT

00:00:01.562 --> 00:00:06.703
There are some things you can't have because you don't do, and there are some things you don't do because you don't be.

00:00:06.703 --> 00:00:07.828
You got to be.

00:00:07.828 --> 00:00:08.730
It's like I want to do this.

00:00:08.730 --> 00:00:10.826
Well, you haven't become the kind of person that does that.

00:00:10.826 --> 00:00:12.250
You know what I mean?

00:00:12.250 --> 00:00:14.666
Yeah, yeah, A focused person does that.

00:00:14.666 --> 00:00:16.567
A disciplined person does that.

00:00:16.567 --> 00:00:18.246
A committed person does that.

00:00:22.240 --> 00:00:27.525
Well, I want to welcome you to the Lead to Win podcast, where we help leaders win in the areas that matter most.

00:00:27.525 --> 00:00:32.712
And today we're joined by Pastor Jeff and our very special guest, dr Darius Daniels.

00:00:32.712 --> 00:00:35.909
Dr Darius is a pastor, a speaker, a coach.

00:00:35.909 --> 00:00:39.850
You're a certified emotional intelligence specialist Wasn't you powerful?

00:00:39.850 --> 00:00:56.412
And you serve as the lead pastor of Change Church in Atlanta, a multi-site, multi-regional community, and I was impressed by the fact you got your undergraduate from Millsaps, postgraduate degrees from both Princeton and Fuller, serving, coaching, pastoring, speaking.

00:00:56.479 --> 00:01:00.290
In many ways, you guys have similar backgrounds and similar experiences.

00:01:00.290 --> 00:01:10.031
We're working from spending the last few days here at our leaders gathering, helping pastors and leaders from maybe 150, 175 different churches around the area.

00:01:10.031 --> 00:01:15.984
Both of you guys are in the season of growth and momentum, things really exploding in your ministry environments.

00:01:15.984 --> 00:01:17.665
You're leading growing churches.

00:01:17.665 --> 00:01:18.528
You're coaching leaders.

00:01:18.528 --> 00:01:23.811
When a leader hears about you, a lot of times they think well, man, they must be an overnight success.

00:01:23.811 --> 00:01:31.073
Bring me into a little bit into the world of what it actually takes to produce the momentum and to get to the space where you guys are at.

00:01:31.521 --> 00:01:33.207
Well, I've been excited about this moment.

00:01:33.207 --> 00:01:36.730
Darius, you know I know some of your background.

00:01:36.730 --> 00:01:45.852
I know some of the conversations from your own father and some of that early training in the.

00:01:45.912 --> 00:01:47.415
Word and people see you.

00:01:47.795 --> 00:02:01.015
I think you're one of the greatest communicators of the Word, but not understanding the need people have, but also being you're connected to the text, which I really love.

00:02:01.015 --> 00:02:06.183
So we're not going to talk about communication and preaching, but you and I've been we could, yeah, we could.

00:02:06.242 --> 00:02:07.487
That would be a great topic yeah.

00:02:08.320 --> 00:02:27.540
But you and I have had connection outside from back you talking about those foundations from your father to some of your educational steps, and I remember the dialogue even about what changed church has become the now expression you have in Atlanta and a lot of things over the last few years.

00:02:27.540 --> 00:02:50.706
But I think what I want to do in relationship to the Lead to Win podcast, the purpose of this is that there are people out there and they may be in multiple different places of leadership or responsibility or, as I say, stewardship, and they want to win, but somehow they get stuck.

00:02:50.706 --> 00:03:08.245
Or maybe they think it's a boss, they think maybe it's their context, or they're in a city and that city doesn't have the opportunities you know how we tend to look kind of around us when we get stuck, and so I just want to say, first of all, thank you for your friendship.

00:03:08.526 --> 00:03:10.311
You're here sharing with our church.

00:03:10.311 --> 00:03:13.185
We've been here coaching leaders.

00:03:13.185 --> 00:03:23.193
You're sharing with our church, and I just wanted to have an opportunity for everyone listening to benefit from just you and I talking about leading to win.

00:03:23.520 --> 00:03:30.471
Yeah Well, first of all, I'm honored to be here, and I mean that, and not just because I'm honored to be with you.

00:03:30.471 --> 00:03:33.123
I think you get to a certain point in life.

00:03:33.123 --> 00:03:35.830
As you get older, it's not where you go, is who you with.

00:03:36.731 --> 00:03:37.312
You know what I mean.

00:03:37.312 --> 00:03:38.602
Yes, yeah.

00:03:38.981 --> 00:03:47.745
So I'm honored to be here, not just because I'm with you, but also because of what you're doing, and this is just my observation.

00:03:47.745 --> 00:03:53.894
It's going to sound like a blanket statement, but it is a statement I'm making from my vantage point, from the seat that I sit in, and from my experiences.

00:03:53.894 --> 00:04:05.921
You are leaning into one of the most under-emphasized and underrated leadership competencies in the Christian space.

00:04:05.921 --> 00:04:15.352
Culture understands the importance of this competency, but it seems like in the Christian space, we've underestimated the importance of this competency.

00:04:15.352 --> 00:04:17.233
Wow, and that is coaching.

00:04:17.233 --> 00:04:19.196
That is a leadership competency.

00:04:19.196 --> 00:04:22.910
Yes, so when people talk about I'm leading, what does that?

00:04:22.949 --> 00:04:23.129
mean.

00:04:23.230 --> 00:04:23.411
Yeah.

00:04:23.620 --> 00:04:23.740
Like.

00:04:23.740 --> 00:04:27.591
It's a compilation of competencies that you've got to develop to be able to lead well.

00:04:27.591 --> 00:04:29.927
Okay, and coaching is one of them.

00:04:29.927 --> 00:04:39.012
As a matter of fact, it is probably Jesus's most dominant leadership competency.

00:04:39.213 --> 00:04:42.142
Wow, I want you to think about this Very often.

00:04:42.283 --> 00:04:44.771
What we're repeating are the statements of Jesus.

00:04:44.771 --> 00:04:46.507
I want you to think about this Very often.

00:04:46.507 --> 00:04:47.613
What we're repeating are the statements of Jesus.

00:04:47.613 --> 00:04:52.329
I want you to think about the questions of Jesus, 307 of them in the New Testament.

00:04:52.329 --> 00:04:53.824
Who do men say that?

00:04:53.824 --> 00:04:54.968
I am there?

00:04:54.968 --> 00:04:55.480
You go Now.

00:04:55.480 --> 00:04:57.004
Who do you say that I am Does?

00:04:57.485 --> 00:04:58.208
that make sense?

00:04:58.208 --> 00:04:59.110
Yeah, there's a lesson there.

00:05:00.045 --> 00:05:08.793
He's leading them somewhere he is 100% and it is the way you create transformations without creating codependency.

00:05:08.833 --> 00:05:10.495
There you go, there you go, you got me.

00:05:10.495 --> 00:05:10.997
That's powerful.

00:05:10.997 --> 00:05:11.639
Say that again.

00:05:11.639 --> 00:05:12.199
That's really good.

00:05:12.240 --> 00:05:17.452
Coaching is one of the ways you can create transformations without creating codependency.

00:05:17.452 --> 00:05:25.012
So if all I am is the teacher, then you're just waiting on me to continually and consistently disseminate information.

00:05:25.012 --> 00:05:48.872
I'm telling you what to think, but when I move into coaching now, I'm not just telling you what to think, I'm showing you how to think, and I think that is what makes Lead to Win so distinct and so important and so necessary, so necessary in the current age that we live in.

00:05:48.872 --> 00:05:50.865
So, man, I forgot the question.

00:05:51.447 --> 00:05:52.329
I don't even know the question.

00:05:52.329 --> 00:05:53.112
No, no, no, that was really good.

00:05:53.701 --> 00:06:00.206
I want to talk about specifically getting stuck, but I'm thankful for you and I'm glad you're excited about Lead to Win.

00:06:00.206 --> 00:06:07.725
Because you and I have already talked, I'm going to pull on you a little bit to understand some of the things you've learned over the last several years.

00:06:07.865 --> 00:06:24.185
You do more speaking, you have a broader speaking and you have an amazing speaking gift than I do, but we share this passion for that coaching part of what you do.

00:06:24.185 --> 00:06:32.024
You've been in the space a little longer than me, so I'm thankful that I'm going to be able to lean on you and ask some questions I always love.

00:06:32.024 --> 00:06:33.608
I said I'm going to ask you some questions.

00:06:33.608 --> 00:06:35.004
You're like, I got some stuff to tell you.

00:06:35.045 --> 00:06:35.365
That's good.

00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:38.180
I would hate it if I said hey could you tell me something?

00:06:38.201 --> 00:06:40.343
You're like I ain't got nothing at all.

00:06:40.882 --> 00:06:49.670
So tell me, though, let's dial in on this specific moment together, because we've had conversation.

00:06:49.670 --> 00:07:00.838
We could go down speaking, we could go down local church, we could go down being a good manager of people, we could talk about team, and I love that you said this competency.

00:07:00.838 --> 00:07:07.557
Right, yeah, like this competency, but why is it that so many people?

00:07:07.557 --> 00:07:24.545
Because this is really the question why is it in our culture that so many people have apprehended that which they perceive to be winning, but still feel stuck, like what, if you're stuck, if you're not winning, what's going on?

00:07:30.019 --> 00:07:30.100
Yep.

00:07:30.100 --> 00:07:32.663
So the reason people feel that way is something I mean you mean you were talking off camera.

00:07:32.663 --> 00:07:33.425
It is one I don't think people have.

00:07:33.425 --> 00:07:34.247
I don't, I don't think.

00:07:34.247 --> 00:07:40.175
A lot of times people take the time to customize like their own definition of success.

00:07:40.519 --> 00:07:45.160
Right, right and so you talk about this like I think there's one, this, this one axiom, right, right.

00:07:45.160 --> 00:07:53.009
And so you talk about this like I think there's one, this, this one axiom Some people spend their life climbing their way to the top of the ladder, get to the end of their life and realize they leaned in against the wrong wall.

00:07:53.189 --> 00:07:53.430
Yeah.

00:07:53.730 --> 00:07:53.971
You know.

00:07:53.971 --> 00:08:08.059
So I think that's, that's part of it, but generally speaking if someone's stuck, they're probably about three or four reasons in any area of life as to why they're stuck.

00:08:08.059 --> 00:08:15.226
Okay, so the first one's going to be the first place I'm going to tell people to look is character Now, particularly in the faith-based space.

00:08:15.226 --> 00:08:19.444
When you say that people think ethics Right, I'm assuming you're ethical.

00:08:19.444 --> 00:08:21.370
Okay, yeah, you'd hope.

00:08:21.370 --> 00:08:22.012
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:08:22.012 --> 00:08:29.834
But that's not what I'm referring to when I say character, right I'm talking about traits I'm not talking about ethics.

00:08:30.175 --> 00:08:32.602
I'm talking about optimization, so it's not.

00:08:32.602 --> 00:08:34.307
Are you a good person, right?

00:08:34.307 --> 00:08:34.587
It's not.

00:08:34.587 --> 00:08:35.509
Do you have morals?

00:08:35.509 --> 00:08:36.150
Right it's.

00:08:36.150 --> 00:08:39.166
Do you have the traits you need to get the results that you want?

00:08:39.166 --> 00:08:39.706
Wow, okay.

00:08:39.706 --> 00:08:43.407
So you can be a moral person and not a focused person, right, you can be a moral person and not a resilient person.

00:08:43.407 --> 00:08:44.471
You can be a moral person and not a focused person.

00:08:44.471 --> 00:08:45.595
You can be a moral person and not a resilient person.

00:08:45.595 --> 00:08:47.139
You can be a moral person and not a resourceful person.

00:08:47.139 --> 00:08:49.488
Sometimes, all you guys, two fish in five loaves of bread.

00:08:49.488 --> 00:08:52.168
You need more than morality to multiply that.

00:08:52.720 --> 00:08:58.013
To multiply that you need resourcefulness and innovation and creativity and you need grit.

00:08:58.013 --> 00:09:11.091
You can't be so defeated by the fact that you feel like you got less than what you need to start with, by the fact that you feel like you got less than what you need to start with that you don't pull on the creative resources that God's put on the inside of you to multiply the two fish in the five loaves that he's given you.

00:09:11.491 --> 00:09:15.695
So very often people, like you said, look outside of them and they don't see.

00:09:15.695 --> 00:09:17.557
Hey, it's not if you're a good person.

00:09:17.557 --> 00:09:19.922
It's not if you're a disciplined person.

00:09:19.922 --> 00:09:20.823
It's not if you're an innovative person.

00:09:20.823 --> 00:09:20.923
It's.

00:09:20.923 --> 00:09:24.571
Do you have enough of that trait to get the results that you want?

00:09:24.691 --> 00:09:25.352
Wow Right.

00:09:25.833 --> 00:09:26.114
Right.

00:09:26.114 --> 00:09:28.419
So that's the first place I would tell people to stop and again.

00:09:28.440 --> 00:09:33.472
so you're talking about the do not do this or the Ten Commandments.

00:09:33.472 --> 00:09:37.510
We're kind of assuming this general integrity and morality.

00:09:37.510 --> 00:09:59.128
Yes, You're actually talking about and I've been recently thinking about this because we have a college here, right, we partner with ORU and we're trying to train a next-generation ministry leader and I really dove into that the last couple of years and I don't want to broad brush every generation or a generation as well.

00:09:59.148 --> 00:10:06.802
You guys are all this or that because, not everybody in any segment this or that, because not everybody in any segment.

00:10:06.802 --> 00:10:13.294
But I do think one of the things I've started honing in on is you know, you're hitting on it like laziness or not.

00:10:14.538 --> 00:10:17.443
Those are character traits.

00:10:17.464 --> 00:10:19.548
actually they're not actually, well, I'm just this way, or?

00:10:19.568 --> 00:10:19.769
that.

00:10:20.149 --> 00:10:23.022
Those are character issues that need to be.

00:10:23.022 --> 00:10:41.174
So you're saying you're stuck a lot of times for not just do not do this, do not do that, but you have not even developed your character in some areas of, as you said, diligence or resourcefulness or something there.

00:10:41.215 --> 00:10:44.830
Yeah, it's using Genesis as a framework.

00:10:44.830 --> 00:10:45.725
It's the be do have framework.

00:10:45.725 --> 00:10:46.594
Yeah, it's the using Genesis as a framework.

00:10:46.594 --> 00:10:47.198
It's the be do have framework.

00:10:47.198 --> 00:10:52.525
Yeah, there are some things you can't have because you don't do, and there are some things you don't do because you don't be.

00:10:52.525 --> 00:10:53.649
Yeah, you got to be.

00:10:53.649 --> 00:10:54.572
It's like I want to do this.

00:10:54.572 --> 00:10:56.687
Well, you haven't become the kind of person that does that.

00:10:56.947 --> 00:10:57.910
You know what I mean, right.

00:10:59.643 --> 00:11:00.524
Yeah, yeah, does that?

00:11:00.524 --> 00:11:02.448
A disciplined person does that?

00:11:02.448 --> 00:11:04.091
A committed person does that?

00:11:04.091 --> 00:11:23.072
And so I think when you get into some of the wisdom literature, that's kind of where I'm pulling this philosophy from, because that's where you'll see Solomon use terms like sluggard and he's like hey, if little sleep, little slumber, poverty comes on you like a madman, like a thief in the night.

00:11:23.072 --> 00:11:28.804
Yes, so he uses kind of terminology that speaks to traits.

00:11:28.804 --> 00:11:33.293
Yes, that are beyond what we would just call ethics yes you know what I mean.

00:11:33.480 --> 00:11:46.451
proverbs 6 go to the ant yeah, like look, look, look at how he's, how the ant is proactive, yes, and not reactive, like when you look at what he talks about in Proverbs 6, it's he prepares for winter and summer.

00:11:46.451 --> 00:11:47.634
That's proactive, yes.

00:11:47.634 --> 00:11:51.269
Not reactive it says they do this without any sort of overseer.

00:11:51.269 --> 00:11:53.788
Wow, so it means that they're self-motivated, right?

00:11:53.788 --> 00:12:02.912
So these are all traits that I think are built on the foundation of morality there you go.

00:12:02.912 --> 00:12:06.316
Right, yeah, that contribute to whether or not a person is stuck or gets unstuck.

00:12:06.419 --> 00:12:11.529
So it's almost like you're pulling on from Proverbs when Solomon says that you see a man skilled in their work.

00:12:11.529 --> 00:12:15.019
They won't stand before obscure men, they'll stand before kings 100%.

00:12:15.019 --> 00:12:19.120
So character is almost very tied to this competency, almost like skills.

00:12:19.120 --> 00:12:23.105
Pastor, jeff, you say sometimes, when you're asking about a young person, what do they know how to do?

00:12:23.105 --> 00:12:24.447
Do they know how to do anything?

00:12:24.447 --> 00:12:25.928
Yeah, that's the second thing I would say.

00:12:25.928 --> 00:12:28.153
Though that gets people stuck, it's competency.

00:12:28.153 --> 00:12:30.806
So, competency, right, that's the second, it's not am I good at this?

00:12:31.279 --> 00:12:33.869
Are you good enough at this to get the results you want?

00:12:33.869 --> 00:12:38.264
Wow, right, you know, I think that's the key.

00:12:38.264 --> 00:12:41.369
It's not whether or not I've got the competencies.

00:12:41.369 --> 00:12:45.615
Have I developed that competency enough to get the results that we want?

00:12:51.379 --> 00:12:52.302
This is something you said in family gathering?

00:12:52.322 --> 00:12:52.864
No, was it family gathering?

00:12:52.864 --> 00:12:54.027
We were somewhere together and you were doing a session.

00:12:54.027 --> 00:13:06.389
And I'm paraphrasing because I can't say it the way that you said, it came from your heart, but basically, kind of, what you said is and I'm going to use cultural terminology, all right, so people give me that basically leadership is the skill that scales.

00:13:07.731 --> 00:13:08.634
It's basically what you said.

00:13:08.653 --> 00:13:14.486
It's like hey, you can't preach up a church.

00:13:14.486 --> 00:13:18.293
He's like no.

00:13:18.332 --> 00:13:58.729
If you want to scale, if you want to multiply, if you want to expand your reach, there's one skill that does that, and that's leadership, that is shepherding, and so you understand what I'm saying yeah, and sometimes I'll be honest, I've been thinking about, because I keep developing that thought and I keep sharing it and I keep trying to keep self-awareness, because I said it the other day and I had a few leaders, because I'm you know, I was a pre-digital pastor when no one knew what I was preaching other than the people sitting in the congregation, and I think God's using that technology.

00:13:58.840 --> 00:14:00.447
Obviously, we're on a podcast, right.

00:14:00.447 --> 00:14:12.111
I have some preaching clips that you know my team will put out, because maybe there was something I said that could help people and I was actually making the comment about, though, but I look at like everybody's talking.

00:14:14.004 --> 00:14:16.003
They got little words underneath and people.

00:14:16.003 --> 00:14:20.245
They're not even hitting the little thing to listen to what they're saying, but you got the words so you can read it.

00:14:21.062 --> 00:14:23.081
And everyone's talking and here was my.

00:14:23.081 --> 00:14:32.331
I literally had this thought last night what you're talking about back to competency, the scalability of that model.

00:14:32.331 --> 00:14:37.408
I'm not saying that having a preaching clip is bad.

00:14:37.408 --> 00:14:52.248
What I am saying is and you wouldn't say this about yourself but there's only so many Darius Daniels, there's only so many people that are in the elite percentile of God chose to sovereignly use their faithfulness.

00:14:52.248 --> 00:15:04.105
Because you have a gift, but I know how hard you work at developing that gift but you've also been given some very unique abilities your ability with the word, the intellectual ability, the motivational skill that you have.

00:15:04.105 --> 00:15:20.855
I'm saying this about you, but I may not be able to preach like Darius Daniels, but that's okay, because really he's having to develop those other traits too, because we've had conversations and built his leadership 100% and he doesn't want a church.

00:15:20.914 --> 00:15:21.879
That just got preached.

00:15:21.879 --> 00:15:23.677
So, he's continued to build his church.

00:15:23.677 --> 00:15:27.500
He's began to refine processes and systems and assimilation and leadership.

00:15:27.519 --> 00:15:28.241
100% yes.

00:15:30.335 --> 00:15:33.682
But you do because you want health and you want to honor God.

00:15:33.682 --> 00:15:47.836
I just want to tell a lot of leaders, though, that only depending on one attribute, such as speaking is still a bad strategy because it doesn't scale very well.

00:15:47.836 --> 00:15:50.057
That's a small percentile, 100%.

00:15:50.057 --> 00:15:51.100
Are you hearing what I'm saying?

00:15:51.100 --> 00:15:52.100
Yes, yes.

00:15:52.400 --> 00:15:59.395
Yes, and for people who have issue even with the scaling terminology you can't shepherd well you can't, you can't care for people.

00:15:59.395 --> 00:16:02.715
Well, without that particular skill, like it is the skill.

00:16:02.715 --> 00:16:05.899
So let's say people got problems with the scaling terminology Okay.

00:16:05.899 --> 00:16:09.653
It is the skill that helps you steward people well, there you go.

00:16:09.653 --> 00:16:12.356
You is the skill that helps you steward people well, there you go.

00:16:12.356 --> 00:16:15.659
You can't even steward the people that God sends well without developing the skill.

00:16:15.679 --> 00:16:18.383
Well did not the book of Acts, did not the church scale, I mean?

00:16:18.763 --> 00:16:19.504
they were adding.

00:16:20.605 --> 00:16:30.793
They added a lot of people, right, but then they get out here a few chapters and now they got to be like well, look, we're going to focus here and you're going to focus on that, and we're going to do that.

00:16:30.812 --> 00:16:35.434
We're going to focus here and you're going to focus on that and we're going to do that, and then it says they multiplied.

00:16:35.434 --> 00:16:35.816
That's right.

00:16:35.836 --> 00:16:39.878
So a change in how they were operating and what they were doing resulted in multiplication.

00:16:40.437 --> 00:16:43.259
And that was the leadership competency, though that is.

00:16:43.500 --> 00:16:44.039
Acts 6.

00:16:44.039 --> 00:16:47.261
So in Acts 3 and 4, they're preaching.

00:16:47.261 --> 00:16:49.583
They're communicating, they're communicating, they're communicating.

00:16:49.663 --> 00:16:57.288
And it creates a spiritual harvest of people that now they are not stewarding properly.

00:16:57.288 --> 00:17:05.356
So widows and Grecians are being neglected in the daily distribution of food.

00:17:05.356 --> 00:17:08.423
So now they have preached up a crowd that their preaching can't steward.

00:17:08.423 --> 00:17:18.105
Well, so, now they have a leadership conversation and make a leadership decision, appoint deacons, add systems, add structure to actually steward the people well.

00:17:18.411 --> 00:17:22.499
And that happens so quickly, right, like the first time, peter preaches 3,000 there.

00:17:22.499 --> 00:17:26.511
So, people tend to think the early churches they were just this huddled together 3,000,.

00:17:26.511 --> 00:17:29.635
They quickly realized we can't scale this, we can't figure out what to do with this.

00:17:34.769 --> 00:17:37.622
So we're going to have to redo our strategy and I think the conversations around you know sometimes just churches and things.

00:17:37.622 --> 00:17:40.953
I mean we're talking about businesses, we're talking about if you have one kid, if you have two.

00:17:40.953 --> 00:17:46.432
We have four children right and we have a 14 year old, so it's also your department.

00:17:46.432 --> 00:17:59.482
If you're working in the children's area and you have one volunteer and you have 20, I say it this way no one person can be responsible for the whole once it begins to be beyond a certain magnitude.

00:17:59.849 --> 00:18:01.938
I mean, different people have different theories.

00:18:02.109 --> 00:18:03.517
One person can take care of 50 people.

00:18:03.517 --> 00:18:05.156
One pastor can take care of 200.

00:18:05.156 --> 00:18:08.289
Average church in America is less than 200.

00:18:08.289 --> 00:18:24.671
I mean, or even around the world, there's a lot of smaller faithful people, but if it's going to go beyond that, I'm not responsible to take care of all the needs, but I am responsible to make sure the needs are taken care of 100%.

00:18:24.791 --> 00:18:37.340
I remember when I was this was probably about a decade ago I was sitting with my coach at that time and talking through some organizational frustration and one of the things he said to me and I adopted the mantra and I say it to this day.

00:18:37.340 --> 00:18:42.480
It's a part of our vivid vision description in our church you don't go as far as your dream, you go as far as your team.

00:18:43.210 --> 00:18:47.595
He said to me, he looked at me, he said, darius, you don't go as far as your dream, you go as far as your team.

00:18:47.595 --> 00:18:56.243
If God does everything through you that you're believing him to do, it's going to take more than you to steward it well, and so you're going to have to learn how to develop that and refine that skill.

00:18:56.243 --> 00:18:59.007
But you know, the competency could be leadership.

00:18:59.007 --> 00:19:11.503
For some people, like you mentioned kids the competency could be time management, like whatever it is Sometimes it's character, and then other times it's competency that contributes to people staying stuck.

00:19:13.470 --> 00:19:14.633
It's what you actually do right.

00:19:14.633 --> 00:19:20.104
So you've got to spend some time, you know, seeing what those core competencies are.

00:19:20.104 --> 00:19:23.577
You also, as you said, coaches make you go further.

00:19:23.577 --> 00:19:33.262
Yeah, you said that you get a coach, you get a lot of people again, never find out what that deficiency is, because they never allow someone else to Right, they're not coachable.

00:19:33.442 --> 00:19:34.505
Yep, you know what I?

00:19:34.525 --> 00:19:36.654
mean, and they never know.

00:19:37.215 --> 00:19:39.080
So true, that's so true, right?

00:19:39.080 --> 00:19:44.925
Because here's the thing One of the things that we say, like around our organization a lot is you can't grade yourself.

00:19:45.247 --> 00:19:46.009
You can't grade yourself.

00:19:46.029 --> 00:19:47.834
So you know you can't see you.

00:19:47.834 --> 00:19:55.019
So sometimes you need somebody outside of you to help you see something that you're unable to see, and I think that's so key, right?

00:19:55.019 --> 00:19:55.650
Sometimes people don't know.

00:19:55.650 --> 00:20:04.057
Hey, you might not be as good at managing time as you think you are, and that doesn't mean you're a bad person and it doesn't mean you're not better than most at this.

00:20:04.057 --> 00:20:11.441
It means that you're not as skilled in this area as you need to be to get the results that you want in this area as you need to be to get the results that you want.

00:20:11.461 --> 00:20:23.439
I think a lot of times team members especially in this ministry context, the lead pastor they're nervous about giving honest feedback to the lead pastor because they're not sure how it's going to be received, because it's almost like he's our leader, so he knows how to do it all.

00:20:23.439 --> 00:20:27.501
So it's not always rewarded to be like, hey, maybe some coaching could help right.

00:20:27.890 --> 00:20:29.155
Yeah, yeah, 100%.

00:20:29.411 --> 00:20:31.298
Good teams have honest feedback.

00:20:31.298 --> 00:20:33.612
They're secure enough to have that.

00:20:33.612 --> 00:20:34.834
It's the anchor trust.

00:20:34.834 --> 00:20:36.897
It's built around honesty.

00:20:36.897 --> 00:20:43.317
Championship teams have that kind of culture around it, so I got it Okay.

00:20:43.317 --> 00:20:45.102
So there's character deficiencies.

00:20:45.102 --> 00:20:49.719
I got to have character here, and then I've got to build some competence.

00:20:49.719 --> 00:20:51.723
I talked to a young guy the other day.

00:20:51.723 --> 00:20:52.605
He's just getting out of college.

00:20:52.605 --> 00:20:53.326
I said what are you going to be?

00:20:53.326 --> 00:20:54.756
He said I'm going to be a consultant.

00:20:54.756 --> 00:20:59.097
I was like, wait a minute, how do you get to consult before you've developed?

00:20:59.178 --> 00:21:00.121
the competencies.

00:21:04.936 --> 00:21:08.584
As John Maxwell says, you have to have did before you get to do.

00:21:08.584 --> 00:21:11.249
Yes, yes yes.

00:21:11.249 --> 00:21:11.971
So what's?

00:21:12.011 --> 00:21:12.493
the next one.

00:21:12.493 --> 00:21:13.076
What do you do?

00:21:13.076 --> 00:21:17.258
So the next one, it's kind of like the two more and they're kind of related.

00:21:17.258 --> 00:21:20.718
So one is, the next one's going to be goals.

00:21:21.078 --> 00:21:21.239
Yeah.

00:21:22.151 --> 00:21:34.109
And you know, for me this kind of goes back to the conversation that we had earlier about kind of having the courage to customize what success looks like for you in this season.

00:21:34.109 --> 00:21:39.722
So for me my commitment is to self-optimize.

00:21:39.722 --> 00:21:47.414
A former chaplain at Harvard, elton Trueblood, said intentional mediocrity is sin.

00:21:47.414 --> 00:21:49.361
Wow, it's bad stewardship.

00:21:49.361 --> 00:21:55.500
It's saying to God you should have taken the abilities, gifts, talents you've given me and gave them to somebody else who did more with it.

00:21:55.740 --> 00:21:56.182
There you go.

00:21:56.430 --> 00:21:56.549
Right.

00:21:56.549 --> 00:21:59.400
So I want to self-optimize without self-destructing.

00:21:59.810 --> 00:22:03.474
Yeah, yeah, those two things.

00:22:03.674 --> 00:22:08.092
So we're talking about winning, like if I'm optimizing and I'm self-destructing, I'm not winning.

00:22:08.092 --> 00:22:09.334
You know what I mean?

00:22:09.474 --> 00:22:29.971
Don't you think that a lot of times is because I've been thinking about that in winning too a lot of times that optimize or maximize, or even success or be better, if it is you being the best God's called you to be, or you being, again, not the best, where we mess up, is we go.

00:22:29.971 --> 00:22:31.477
I'm the best, Wow.

00:22:31.477 --> 00:22:33.917
Instead, I want to be my best.

00:22:33.958 --> 00:22:38.799
So that's a stewardship statement being my best is a stewardship statement.

00:22:39.020 --> 00:22:40.551
Well done good and faithful servant.

00:22:40.551 --> 00:22:50.053
Where I think we end up imploding is we're actually optimizing or maximizing against the other person in our race.

00:22:50.053 --> 00:22:57.290
Some people don't believe winning is in the Bible, but 1 Corinthians 9 says run the race to win, but where they?

00:22:57.290 --> 00:22:58.032
Miss it is.

00:22:58.032 --> 00:23:02.303
The Bible uses battle metaphors and athletic metaphors.

00:23:02.303 --> 00:23:08.201
But in the athletic race there is your race is not against the person in the lane beside you.

00:23:08.201 --> 00:23:11.038
The whole context of the passage is eternity.

00:23:11.038 --> 00:23:15.775
So this is back to Genesis.

00:23:16.174 --> 00:23:17.156
Here's the garden.

00:23:17.156 --> 00:23:18.579
Steward it, keep it.

00:23:18.579 --> 00:23:20.263
This is Matthew 25.

00:23:20.263 --> 00:23:25.753
Be faithful with the little you'll be given much Really.

00:23:25.753 --> 00:23:27.175
I'm stewarding.

00:23:27.175 --> 00:23:37.455
I'm optimizing not out of the flesh, I'm stewarding what God has put on the inside of me, and I'm actually doing it for the glory of God.

00:23:38.198 --> 00:23:39.460
It's for other people.

00:23:39.460 --> 00:23:42.551
It's for other people it's eternity based.

00:23:42.551 --> 00:23:50.512
Because I mentioned the coach that told me you don't go as far as your dream, you go as far as your team.

00:23:50.512 --> 00:23:53.121
My life was transformed.

00:23:53.121 --> 00:24:03.239
I think my family was stabilized, my emotional and mental, mental health was, I'm gonna say, rescued, because he chose to optimize.

00:24:03.539 --> 00:24:04.021
Wow yeah.

00:24:04.931 --> 00:24:28.436
So if he makes a decision not to become his best best self in the name of unbiblical understandings of humility, then he robs me of the gift of his best self, which actually changed my life, because he was a pastor that stepped into coaching and then, when I had a burnout crisis and all of that, I got connected with him and it revolutionized my life.

00:24:28.436 --> 00:24:32.884
That was the inspiration for me to step into coaching, because he so changed my life.

00:24:32.884 --> 00:24:33.224
I said I've been hearing sermonsized my life.

00:24:33.224 --> 00:24:33.904
That was the inspiration for me to step into coaching because he so changed my life.

00:24:33.904 --> 00:24:38.617
I said I've been hearing sermons my whole life, right, and it didn't do for me what this?

00:24:38.858 --> 00:24:39.019
did.

00:24:40.011 --> 00:24:42.996
It was still the ministry of the word, it was just a different delivery system.

00:24:43.036 --> 00:24:43.898
So still the ministry of the word.

00:24:43.898 --> 00:24:49.333
And I said, man, what this guy did for me, I feel called to do this for other people.

00:24:49.333 --> 00:24:53.776
So he would have robbed me if he wasn't his best self.

00:24:53.855 --> 00:24:55.317
He wasn't committed to winning.

00:24:55.317 --> 00:24:57.798
And really we talk about coaching.

00:24:57.798 --> 00:25:03.142
Some people have a call from God to help others in a different way.

00:25:03.142 --> 00:25:09.444
We have pastor calls, we have shepherd, but every Christian is called to make disciples.

00:25:09.484 --> 00:25:10.586
That's right At some level.

00:25:10.625 --> 00:25:12.426
We're all little coaches of Christ.

00:25:12.426 --> 00:25:16.557
Yes, 100% At some level, because we're all called to give away what we've been given.

00:25:16.597 --> 00:25:16.940
That's right.

00:25:16.990 --> 00:25:21.320
I think people get intimidated because you're like I had this coach change my life or even me.

00:25:21.320 --> 00:25:26.121
But even a mom out there, she's coaching some children.

00:25:27.070 --> 00:25:31.338
If you're a parent and you have teenagers, coaching is a parenting competency.

00:25:31.358 --> 00:25:34.184
Yes, it's 100% Parenting competency.

00:25:34.650 --> 00:25:36.034
Teenagers, they talk it back at that age.

00:25:36.054 --> 00:25:37.196
Yeah, you better have thick skin.

00:25:37.217 --> 00:25:38.299
You better be ready to go.

00:25:38.339 --> 00:25:38.961
It's like okay.

00:25:38.961 --> 00:25:42.519
It's completely different.

00:25:42.609 --> 00:25:47.001
It's like okay, I don't want you to just not do this outside my presence.

00:25:47.001 --> 00:25:51.251
I want to convince you this is not good to do I need you to go?

00:25:51.271 --> 00:25:51.332
why?

00:25:51.332 --> 00:25:51.713
Yes, presence right.

00:25:51.713 --> 00:25:52.196
I want to convince you.

00:25:52.196 --> 00:25:52.679
This is not good to do.

00:25:52.699 --> 00:26:09.916
Yes, yeah yeah so so I think it is in the old statement, like a boss gives you a job, but a coach invites you into a process, invites you into a team and then, like you said, adjusting that at the teenage years is a big deal, like you, come as boss yes, you can kind of miss it.

00:26:09.936 --> 00:26:10.920
that's bit, that's right.

00:26:10.920 --> 00:26:14.369
Come as coach, you might get received a little bit more, that's right 100%.

00:26:14.609 --> 00:26:21.482
But what you were originally saying was okay, our character, then our competency, and then we've got to define where we're going.

00:26:21.522 --> 00:26:22.545
That's right, got to be clear.

00:26:22.630 --> 00:26:25.339
Without vision, we cast off constraints.

00:26:25.339 --> 00:26:27.376
So, getting clear goals.

00:26:27.817 --> 00:26:28.038
Yes.

00:26:28.651 --> 00:26:33.329
This is where I really feel God has called me goals.

00:26:33.329 --> 00:26:35.875
This is where I really feel God has called me.

00:26:35.875 --> 00:26:37.498
I keep having a word come up in my head.

00:26:37.538 --> 00:26:39.962
I heard it years ago redemptive potential Redemptive potential.

00:26:40.042 --> 00:26:41.810
What is my redemptive potential?

00:26:41.810 --> 00:26:43.073
What's my department.

00:26:43.073 --> 00:26:45.155
What is my small group?

00:26:45.155 --> 00:26:46.618
What is my family?

00:26:46.618 --> 00:26:53.439
Because that's even a greater, I think, kingdom way of looking at a goal.

00:26:53.439 --> 00:26:53.900
That's right.

00:26:53.900 --> 00:27:03.553
Yeah, I'm looking at that eternal, that stewardship, that redemptive potential and what I hear you saying, because I hear it keep coming out of you.

00:27:03.553 --> 00:27:17.564
If I know that and I define that, that then pushes me to find out where the inconsistencies, where the incompetencies are yes, yes, to get to that 100%.

00:27:17.804 --> 00:27:20.150
Yep, it exposes them Exactly.

00:27:20.150 --> 00:27:21.834
Yeah, it does A hundred percent.

00:27:22.214 --> 00:27:22.717
That makes sense.

00:27:22.717 --> 00:27:27.297
I hear the similar language, the redemptive potential and you talking about the self optimization.

00:27:27.297 --> 00:27:28.405
So can you?

00:27:28.405 --> 00:27:29.028
You know this.

00:27:29.028 --> 00:27:32.196
I'm hanging over here waiting for this fourth one.

00:27:32.196 --> 00:27:33.805
Do you have the fourth one that you're going to give us?

00:27:33.825 --> 00:27:51.634
Yeah, the fourth and the final one is this in terms of why people stay stuck or don't reach their redemptive potential, and so it could be character, it could be competencies, it could be lack of goals, lack of clear goals, right, or it could be standards.

00:27:51.634 --> 00:27:53.161
This one thing about a couple of years ago shifted everything for me.

00:27:53.161 --> 00:27:54.285
Wow, okay, yep, it shifted everything for me Okay.

00:27:55.746 --> 00:27:57.548
And I actually get it.

00:27:57.548 --> 00:28:10.395
I'm not going to go all through it, but I get it with uh, with daniel, and the preparation process that he refused to go through because it violated, uh, hebrew dietary restrictions.

00:28:10.395 --> 00:28:12.867
Wow, yeah, and remember, you guys remember that, daniel?

00:28:13.009 --> 00:28:18.948
yes, so wouldn't eat from the king's table would not eat from the king's table, but ended up getting a better result yes here's the thing.

00:28:18.948 --> 00:28:20.450
So it it.

00:28:20.450 --> 00:28:28.820
This is what it showed me the standard is not the ceiling, the standard is the floor.

00:28:28.820 --> 00:28:31.483
Wow, wow.

00:28:31.483 --> 00:28:36.695
So you don't always get your goals, you always get your standards.

00:28:36.695 --> 00:28:41.316
Wow, because your standards are your non-negotiables.

00:28:41.545 --> 00:28:45.403
Wow, right, right, you got me it is what you're willing to suffer for.

00:28:45.604 --> 00:28:48.510
Right A standard's not a standard unless you're willing to suffer for it.

00:28:48.672 --> 00:28:48.832
Wow.

00:28:49.266 --> 00:28:54.071
And so I think there are a lot of things that people call standards that are actually aspirational.

00:28:54.286 --> 00:29:01.013
It's like that's a goal, but a standard is I'm willing to suffer for this, I will not violate this, I will not violate this.

00:29:01.013 --> 00:29:02.358
And here's the great thing about it.

00:29:02.358 --> 00:29:07.673
It shifted everything for me because I realized, Jeff, I couldn't reach my goals overnight.

00:29:07.673 --> 00:29:09.945
I could change my standards in a moment.

00:29:09.945 --> 00:29:17.299
I could say as of right now, I no longer tolerate this from me and that revolution.

00:29:17.299 --> 00:29:22.788
And so some people it's like yeah, you got your character, you got the competencies, you got the goals, you just don't have the standards.

00:29:22.848 --> 00:29:23.450
There you go.

00:29:23.450 --> 00:29:27.176
That's amazing, and Daniel ends up being 10 times better than everybody else, right?

00:29:27.176 --> 00:29:28.258
As a result of that choice.

00:29:28.519 --> 00:29:33.708
Yeah, and isn't that what we see so many times?

00:29:33.728 --> 00:29:37.156
We see it in Scripture where there's these insurmountable odds.

00:29:37.285 --> 00:29:38.730
I mean the whole Bible's full of that.

00:29:38.730 --> 00:29:40.932
Like they held to their standard.

00:29:40.932 --> 00:29:45.528
God of that, like they, they held to their standard.

00:29:45.528 --> 00:29:46.309
God destroyed an army bigger than them.

00:29:46.309 --> 00:29:48.635
God parted a red seat, you know we see it over and over and we see it in our lives.

00:29:48.635 --> 00:29:57.086
I mean I'd like to encourage somebody out there, whatever you compromise, to get you have to compromise to keep Right.

00:29:57.086 --> 00:30:06.740
And so there's this lure that well, I could compromise the standard or not have the standard, and then I could get to it a different way.

00:30:07.547 --> 00:30:21.819
You know Abraham and the different stories right Like shortcuts, and so what you're saying is a lot of times people are not winning, and not winning at what matters most, and not feeling fulfilled really is also what we're talking.

00:30:21.825 --> 00:30:23.964
We're talking about words like fulfillment, significance.

00:30:24.105 --> 00:30:29.837
We're not just talking about just the stuff that we do or what we do and what it produces.

00:30:29.837 --> 00:30:38.233
We're talking about something coming from a deeper place, and what I hear you saying is that there's a deception and a lure.

00:30:38.233 --> 00:30:40.739
That's right.

00:30:40.739 --> 00:30:43.875
And don't have aspirational standards.

00:30:43.875 --> 00:30:45.984
Have actual standards, that's right.

00:30:45.984 --> 00:30:47.873
And you'll be surprised at what happens.

00:30:48.255 --> 00:30:50.925
There are proclaimed standards and then there are actual standards.

00:30:50.925 --> 00:31:01.834
Yeah, and the fulfillment gap in your life is the gap between those two things wow, yeah so the more you close that gap, the more fulfillment you're actually going to have.

00:31:01.933 --> 00:31:02.615
Yeah.

00:31:03.096 --> 00:31:12.156
And so I've experienced that and um, and what I've learned is fulfillment is the highest form of compensation.

00:31:12.156 --> 00:31:14.489
It's more valuable than any.

00:31:14.489 --> 00:31:17.884
It's more valuable than finances, is more valuable than opportunities.

00:31:17.884 --> 00:31:35.498
But that gap is only closed when your proclaimed standards become your actual standards, and that's when you're living a life saying I'm making a decision that the things that matter the most to God are going to be the things that matter most to me.

00:31:35.498 --> 00:31:37.000
That's so true, Wow.

00:31:38.288 --> 00:31:49.694
So what I talk about in the Way to Win book, what I talk about with men right, because one big scoreboard men men right Because one, one big scoreboard men have, and you mentioned it finances and God uses finances.

00:31:49.694 --> 00:31:54.053
We know, it's not it's not money's not evil, it's, it's love of money in the wrong perspective.

00:31:54.053 --> 00:31:59.392
What does it profit a man If he gains the whole world?

00:31:59.531 --> 00:32:01.848
it's the whole it loses his soul.

00:32:01.930 --> 00:32:03.515
Cause that that is what you're saying.

00:32:03.825 --> 00:32:04.286
That's right.

00:32:04.306 --> 00:32:19.679
You can have this scoreboard and be like making more money but not be fulfilled, and that means maybe you violated a standard to get what you thought would fulfill.

00:32:19.679 --> 00:32:21.710
That's right, and you don't feel like you're winning.

00:32:21.710 --> 00:32:22.132
That's right.

00:32:22.786 --> 00:32:25.270
You gave up the thing that would actually fulfill you.

00:32:25.270 --> 00:32:28.525
Wow, chasing the thing that actually won't Wow.

00:32:28.885 --> 00:32:33.385
And what God's actually saying is you don't have to violate your standards, because I have all of this too.

00:32:33.405 --> 00:32:34.309
That's right, yes, and.

00:32:34.349 --> 00:32:42.071
I can take care of you and I can reward you, and so it doesn't have to be an either or yeah, I think that's what we see with Daniel.

00:32:42.633 --> 00:32:54.184
I think in part, that's what we could take away from Abraham and Isaac there are times we're not saying all the time, but there are times where you won't have to give up what you think that you'll have to give up to hold a standard Sure.

00:32:55.026 --> 00:33:05.740
One of my other favorite stories while we're going down Bible lane is the Ecclesiastes passage right, the word habel there when he uses it's all vain.

00:33:05.740 --> 00:33:11.494
I mean, you're talking about someone that had.

00:33:11.494 --> 00:33:14.863
I mean this guy would be the Hollywood.

00:33:14.863 --> 00:33:20.674
He would be all of the Hollywood characters wrapped with the Forbes billionaire list, wrapped with the if it was drink, he drank it.

00:33:20.805 --> 00:33:21.989
If it was the party, he had it.

00:33:22.009 --> 00:33:22.490
The woman.

00:33:22.509 --> 00:33:23.794
he had it and he goes.

00:33:23.794 --> 00:33:35.875
It's empty and the picture there is of a well that you keep dipping a bucket into over and over, only drawing it up to find that it doesn't have anything in it.

00:33:35.875 --> 00:33:48.309
So, the most miserable person on the planet is actually the person who ascertains or obtains that which they believe will satisfy their thirst, only to find it can't deliver.

00:33:50.455 --> 00:33:51.037
That's powerful.

00:33:52.768 --> 00:33:55.415
It's a well that has no water.

00:33:55.415 --> 00:34:01.817
I want to finish with this thought those are great things.

00:34:01.817 --> 00:34:03.451
I think anybody out there that's stuck.

00:34:03.451 --> 00:34:07.932
If they'll do those four things, they will really think about their character.

00:34:07.932 --> 00:34:11.672
They'll think about competencies learn how to do something better.

00:34:11.672 --> 00:34:15.931
They'll think about their goals and setting the right things.

00:34:15.931 --> 00:34:23.869
They'll really think about standards, uncompromising.

00:34:23.869 --> 00:34:28.478
I just I kind of think about guardrails and bumpers too.

00:34:28.478 --> 00:34:31.471
Just this is like I'm not going this way or that way.

00:34:32.072 --> 00:34:57.795
Those are great things, but when you've been, you know you spend a fair amount of time in the leadership space and you hear the leadership discussion, what is something that you think, something that's just kind of been bubbling in you just about in general, just culture, Like you said some things about, like in the Christian space there's some lacking thing in coaching, but what's kind of just been stirring in you recently?

00:34:57.795 --> 00:35:04.829
I know you were just telling me you woke up this morning, had some writing and you had a little flow what's kind of bubbling up in you right now?

00:35:05.411 --> 00:35:13.855
It's really simple, I think right now, for me it's self-leadership, and what I mean by that is here.

00:35:13.855 --> 00:35:17.125
I go back to the coaching conversation, right.

00:35:17.125 --> 00:35:20.826
So when I say self-leadership, again, I'm not just talking about managing your life morally.

00:35:20.826 --> 00:35:22.331
That is important, that's essential.

00:35:22.331 --> 00:35:27.936
I'm not underestimating that, I'm just saying I'm speaking beyond that.

00:35:27.936 --> 00:35:39.989
And when I'm talking about, when I'm referring to this idea of self-leadership and what I've learned is you get to seasons and situations where maybe you're stuck.

00:35:39.989 --> 00:35:49.914
So you get to seasons and situations where maybe you're stuck and you're going to have to learn how to hack you in order to move you.

00:35:50.014 --> 00:35:52.317
Wow, so self-leadership Now.

00:35:52.317 --> 00:35:54.277
So we'll slide into the emotional intelligence space.

00:35:54.277 --> 00:35:57.239
The first quadrant of emotional intelligence is self-awareness.

00:35:57.239 --> 00:36:09.449
Right, that's the first one, right, because you can't have self-management, right, without self-awareness, and so there has to be awareness.

00:36:09.449 --> 00:36:09.949
How am I wired?

00:36:09.949 --> 00:36:11.773
Where do I tend to get stuck?

00:36:11.773 --> 00:36:26.661
What contributes to me actually being stuck, so that I can come up with a strategy to actually move me in a way that aligns with how I'm actually wired?

00:36:26.661 --> 00:36:41.630
Because I think what happens is we can read books and assume that every strategy works for every person, right, when the truth of the matter is some people's, like you might not like motivation, you might be lacking something else.

00:36:41.630 --> 00:36:50.480
Sure, some people's like you might not like motivation, you might be lacking something else, and so your ability to kind of hack you and to figure out OK, how am I wired?

00:36:50.480 --> 00:37:10.601
What are these tendencies and traits that I have myself into strategies and tactics that will help me manage some of these things that are actually creating misery for me or keeping me from.

00:37:10.621 --> 00:37:21.905
From interesting that I mean the self-leadership discussion, because every time we come back to you're talking about self-awareness or your coach having the impact and I and I know your personality.

00:37:21.905 --> 00:37:23.610
So we're we're, we're, but, but.

00:37:23.610 --> 00:37:34.731
But I will say one of the things that's got people stuck, because all that stuff you're describing has a piece to it that includes not being isolated, yes, you follow me.

00:37:34.751 --> 00:37:36.255
Yeah, yeah, you can't coach yourself.

00:37:36.255 --> 00:37:41.492
If you said it's on your team, you can't grade yourself yeah you can't be aware of yourself.

00:37:41.992 --> 00:37:47.088
So isn't that kind of ironic that self-leadership, which is really where you're trying.

00:37:47.088 --> 00:37:54.581
You're not trying to create codependency, and really a good coach isn't somebody that you're trying to keep in perpetual all the time.

00:37:54.601 --> 00:37:56.626
They're not micromanaging every detail in your life.

00:37:56.646 --> 00:38:11.394
We're trying to keep you somehow dependent forever, but you've got at some point, have an engagement, ability to see and then move into being aware of those things that have been 100 percent.

00:38:11.635 --> 00:38:20.012
Yes you have self-leadership yeah, I think honestly like an organizational leadership, whether it's a company, whether it's a church, you name it.

00:38:20.012 --> 00:38:32.135
You've got probably upper or middle leadership who in some way is probably thinking I wish some of the people that I lead would lead themselves better.

00:38:32.556 --> 00:38:32.815
True.

00:38:33.797 --> 00:38:54.807
It's true, yeah, yeah, and I think this idea of self-leadership it's almost like we limit the conversation to the benefits that it has for me personally when I lead myself well, but it has benefits beyond me personally, Does that make sense A hundred percent To others?

00:38:54.869 --> 00:38:57.505
the reciprocal effect of that is huge.

00:38:57.525 --> 00:38:58.684
Well, I don't think it's an accident.

00:38:58.684 --> 00:39:01.094
I'm sitting with two incredible coaches.

00:39:01.094 --> 00:39:09.184
I'm sitting with two incredible coaches, but also, as I listen to you, I know that both of you are two of the most coachable you want to be coached.

00:39:09.525 --> 00:39:12.373
You're not sitting there like I'd like to coach somebody else, but don't say anything to me.

00:39:12.373 --> 00:39:16.896
The Bible says that if you correct a wise man, they'll love you for it.

00:39:16.896 --> 00:39:19.072
And Pastor Jeff, we've been friends for so long.

00:39:19.072 --> 00:39:21.628
You're curious, you're a learner, you're wanting to get better.

00:39:21.628 --> 00:39:23.632
It's oozing out of everything you're saying.

00:39:23.632 --> 00:39:27.931
I'm getting inspired to go listening to you talk about how motivated you are.

00:39:27.931 --> 00:39:32.971
So I don't think that that's an accident that you guys talking about how it's under emphasized.

00:39:32.971 --> 00:39:41.550
I think a lot of times in this space people are like well, I'm doing my thing and don't say anything to me as opposed to being willing to say if you see something, say something.

00:39:41.570 --> 00:39:42.893
I want to grow, I want to get better.

00:39:42.893 --> 00:39:45.215
It's so refreshing to hear both of you say that.

00:39:45.396 --> 00:39:45.956
Yeah, yeah.

00:39:45.956 --> 00:39:50.081
I mean, I recently invited someone into that space.

00:39:50.081 --> 00:39:51.646
They came here, they spoke.

00:39:51.646 --> 00:39:54.835
I called them the next day and said did you have any feedback?

00:39:54.835 --> 00:39:58.675
And their response to me was well, no one ever asked.

00:39:58.675 --> 00:39:59.967
That I'm like.

00:39:59.967 --> 00:40:01.393
I'm trying to get better.

00:40:06.007 --> 00:40:06.929
Then they said well, sit down.

00:40:06.929 --> 00:40:07.389
I got my iPad.

00:40:07.389 --> 00:40:08.773
I got 13 things that I got to correct.

00:40:08.893 --> 00:40:18.635
I'm like well, you know, maybe, but I mean the sign of security, the sign of I want to honor God, I want to, I want to get unstuck.

00:40:18.675 --> 00:40:19.476
Yeah, yeah.

00:40:19.818 --> 00:40:28.574
Is is being teachable and being willing to be open you know not to every voice, sure Right, but to the right voices.

00:40:28.574 --> 00:40:38.847
And you and I share some of the same voices and relationships who care about us, and they're not trying to speak into every space, but you better know who you've allowed to speak into what space.

00:40:38.967 --> 00:40:44.057
Yes, oh man, that's a completely different conversation, right?

00:40:44.057 --> 00:40:45.788
Whoever has your ear has your future.

00:40:46.108 --> 00:40:46.429
Wow.

00:40:46.911 --> 00:40:51.429
And I think that's one of the most important decisions you can make is who you choose to give your ear to.

00:40:51.791 --> 00:40:54.376
Yeah, that's a good deal, that's numbers 13.

00:40:54.498 --> 00:40:58.132
Yeah, that's why they didn't go into the promised land when they could.

00:40:58.132 --> 00:41:01.989
They chose to give their ear to the 10 instead of the two, joshua and Caleb.

00:41:02.108 --> 00:41:03.251
And there's so many voices.

00:41:03.251 --> 00:41:10.452
There are so many voices pulling for our ear today, probably more than ever before, more than any generation that's ever lived, and so being wise in that is critical.

00:41:11.065 --> 00:41:12.311
Well, I want to say thank you to you, Darius?

00:41:12.331 --> 00:41:12.954
Yes, absolutely.

00:41:14.666 --> 00:41:37.106
I mean, a lot of people know you from you know you're, again, an incredible preacher of the word and you obviously get invited into some amazing spaces and of course I always celebrate that, listen to your messages and but a lot of people don't realize that your gifting can take you so far, right, and you, you know you're.

00:41:37.106 --> 00:41:39.876
You're not where you want to be, but you're not where you used to be.

00:41:39.876 --> 00:41:45.324
But what I love about you is, every time we talk, you know you're making progress right.

00:41:45.425 --> 00:41:50.715
God's not after us being perfect, but he's looking for that progressive work forward.

00:41:50.715 --> 00:41:53.173
And then I think a lot of people don't understand.

00:41:53.173 --> 00:41:56.951
Again, I'm going back to our college, I'm trying to train, I'm trying to inspire.

00:41:56.951 --> 00:42:01.228
You say you want to do this or that.

00:42:01.228 --> 00:42:03.309
Maybe not speaking, maybe whatever that thing.

00:42:03.309 --> 00:42:03.871
You want to do this?

00:42:03.871 --> 00:42:07.054
Or that, maybe not speaking, maybe whatever that thing you want to aspire to.

00:42:07.054 --> 00:42:11.378
I appreciate you saying hey, I want to work on that.

00:42:11.418 --> 00:42:23.672
I want this self-leadership to develop that too, and anytime you see somebody over a long period of time, anybody can do something semi-good for a moment.

00:42:23.672 --> 00:42:26.981
But if you see them sustain that there's something else happening underneath.

00:42:27.001 --> 00:42:28.324
Yeah, it's strong, it's a commitment.

00:42:28.324 --> 00:42:29.969
I appreciate it.

00:42:29.969 --> 00:42:40.349
Grateful for you and grateful to be here and learning and growing and trying to self-optimize without self-destructing.

00:42:40.550 --> 00:42:40.911
That's amazing.

00:42:40.931 --> 00:42:42.056
There you go, there you go.

00:42:42.105 --> 00:42:43.411
Well, I want to thank both of you guys.

00:42:43.411 --> 00:42:45.911
This has been so rich, such an incredible conversation.

00:42:45.911 --> 00:42:51.577
On behalf of our audience, I want to thank you guys for being so open and there's so much, so deep, so rich and so.

00:42:51.577 --> 00:42:53.931
Thank you guys for creating this conversation.

00:42:53.931 --> 00:42:54.913
Thank you guys for watching.

00:42:54.913 --> 00:42:57.570
I hope you'll join us next time on the lead to win podcast.